N-COM (WIP TITLE)
by TheRealJeff
Summary: After a gruelingly long imprisonment on Yolkus, Jimmy has finally escaped the clutches of the Yolkian King, Goobot V, once more. Upon returning to Earth, he thinks he's in for some well-earned R&R. Little does he know, the Yolkians are the least of his problems.
1. Chapter 1

_45… 46… 47…_

The Prisoner's silent counting was suddenly interrupted by the familiar _whooshing_ of the automatic door that connected his cell to the rest of the palace. A reflex he'd developed over the period of no more than three years came into play, as he flashed his head in the direction of one of the only doors barring him from freedom.

He lowered himself down from his mid pull-up stance, and allowed his bare feet to touch the ground, keeping his sweaty palms tight around the iron bars of his cell's only window. Hovering in the doorway, was an easily recognizable egg-shaped silhouette. In one of its rigid mechanical hands, a large, metallic spear; in the other; a pair of electric binds. A Yolkian Royal Guard.

After taking a dramatic pause, the unwelcome visitor sallied into the room, its two eyes locked firmly on the Prisoner at its front. There were no obstacles in the cell for the alien to dodge, as the Prisoner hadn't been given access to furniture of any sort. Due to the nature of his person, it was deemed far too risky to leave any potentially-repurposable item in his vicinity. There was no telling how much trouble he could cause with only a cushioned chair.

The guard drew nearer, stopping only three feet in front of the Prisoner. In the early days of his imprisonment, several guards at once would be present during the times when he would be moved. Over time though, the numbers had dwindled to one, solitary sentry. The Yolkians knew their most esteemed capturee was smart enough to not engage the Royal Guard in melee combat. The Prisoner couldn't decide if it was the same guard everytime, or if they rotated- the Yolkians looked and sounded too similar to make a distinction. Not that it was of any consequence, anyhow.

Continuing with the routine, the sentry presented the open electric binds in its outstretched robotic hands, silently ordering the Prisoner to submit. Finally releasing his hold on the barred window, the Prisoner about-faced, and laid his hands flat out into the binds. As soon as his arms came into contact with the metal, they snapped shut, and surged with electricity. Every guard assigned to the Prisoner had access to a remote which, when activated, would give him several amps' worth of pure pain. Similar to a dog obedience collar, which only made the matter even more degrading.

The Prisoner raised his gaze from the binds, to his escort. The guard, satisfied that the Prisoner was secure, spun about, and made to exit the cell. Without hesitation, the Prisoner followed behind him, his bare feet squishing against the cold stone floors of his cell. That on its own had taken some getting used to, but three years' in solitary was more than enough to toughen him up.

Outside the cell, in the elaborately decorated hallway of the Royal Palace, three more guards awaited. The escorting sentry linked up with the already-formed up guard company, leaving space for the Prisoner to walk in the middle of all of them. Complacently, he took his position. The two leading guards quickly took their cue, and propelled themselves forward. As he took his first step, the Prisoner came to a sudden and confusing realization: King Goobot V was absent.

Goobot was not always present for the Prisoner's trips around Yolkus. Normally, only the four guards served as his escorting retinue, during his daily trips to work in the spice mines. However, Goobot had _always_ been present on the beginning day of each quarter of the year… and it was for a very special purpose: the beginning of each quarter hosted a new feeding for Poultra, the resident deity of Yolkus. Goobot never tired of reminding the Prisoner of his failures to save the Gorlocks, who had become the newest addition to the Yolkian labor corps, and Poultra's quarterly meal.

Today was supposed to be one of the feedings. The Prisoner knew that, under no circumstances, were they to be cancelled… which only added more confusion to the situation. Goobot had _never_ missed a feeding, and by extension, never missed an opportunity to escort the Prisoner himself. What had changed?

The Prisoner knew he would likely not get an answer from his escorts, so instead he did as he usually did when walking through the palace, walls of guards in front and back: watch and listen. He had slowly been stockpiling information on the Yolkians during his extended stay on the planet, carefully cataloguing every piece of useful knowledge he came across.

It was amazing what both Goobot and the guards around him would let slip in his presence. Goobot had admitted once, when complaining about a particularly bad slave revolt some years back, that he'd had to flee the planet in an escape ship he kept stored in the palace, only a few hundred meters away from the Prisoner's cell (behind a retina-locked door, of course). He'd once heard a couple of guards complain about a structural weakness in the back of their protective shells, that allowed for the suit's entire core system to be destroyed with one piercing strike. The Prisoner knew how many guards occupied the whole of the palace (some six thousand), the size of the Yolkian space armada (one flagship, forty battleships, one hundred and twenty heavy cruisers, four hundred frigates, and over a thousand transport craft), and even that the great Poultra's watering dish was kept in a large ceremonial chamber nearby.

While he continued to increase his ever-expanding library of information regarding Yolkus, the Prisoner also continuously sought an opportunity for escape. For the whole of the three years he'd been there, no such chance had presented itself… or, at least, he hadn't noticed it yet. There was hardly a time where he wasn't under surveillance, the only times being when he was alone in his cell. Breaking out of the cell was certainly a no-go. Without any sort of tools, it was impenetrable. He was accompanied by at least two guards during his working hours in the spice mines, and four at any given time when he was walking around the palace. That doesn't even account for the dozens of other static guards that lined the hallways of the palace.

Even with all of this, however, the Prisoner never stopped trying. He had people back home counting on him. The simple thought of the looks on their faces when he eventually returned was enough to give him the willpower to continue.

The Prisoner's thought process was ground to a halt, as he and his escorts arrived in front a large set of golden double doors. No markings were necessary; he'd been through the doors enough times to remember their purpose: they led to the private viewing balcony, used by King Goobot himself, for spectation of the great Poultra's feedings. The Prisoner couldn't help but swallow hard, as the automatic doors clicked open upon detecting their presence.

Instantly, he was hit by a flurry of sounds from the outside world. The cheers of the Yolkian masses echoed through the massive arena, adding to the sense of grandeur associated with it. When he hesitated, the Prisoner felt a jab in his back- the Royal Guards ordering him to keep moving. He stepped out onto the platform, and steadily approached the railing.

Still, Goobot was nowhere to be seen. The Prisoner had mused that he might've just been waiting for him at the balcony ahead of time. Something was clearly off, but the Prisoner didn't have nearly enough information to make any guesses. He stopped several feet from the edge of the railing, and stared out at the massive crowd of Yolkian civilians in front of him.

There were undoubtedly millions of them, filling the humongous stadium. It dwarfed the already-massive football and baseball stadiums from back home. While he despised the Yolkians, the Prisoner could admit that they were impressive architects. The huge cage door at the western flank of the arena remained closed, as it was not yet time to release Poultra yet.

The Prisoner threw a glance over his shoulder, just in time to watch the other two guards escorting him depart back through the balcony door. The lead guards halted at the very edge of the balcony, clearly eager to witness yet another of the great Poultra's feedings. Like his cell, there was no place for the Prisoner to sit out on the balcony, either.

Without Goobot on the balcony, the Prisoner somehow found the experience even _more_ grueling. Despite being sworn nemeses, he found a small iota of entertainment in hearing the King's seemingly endless rants about various social and political issues on Yolkus. He talked often about conflicts with the merchant and noble classes of Yolkus, and how he wished he could move the planet to a more centralized state. Goobot also talked about troubles over in the main Yolkian prison complex. The Gorlocks gave him more than their fair share of a fight, and according to him, had nearly overrun the guard barracks on more than one occasion. The mentions of angry Gorlocks always managed to put a smile on the Prisoner's face.

The Prisoner's attention was redirected, when he could barely make out a low, rumbling sound emanating from nearby. The cheers from the immense crowd were almost enough to drown it out. He directed his vision to the upper right corner of the arena, just in time to see a group of Yolkian craft soar past the tip of the structure. He counted five Yolkian frigates, positioned in a chevron formation. The event added more to the Prisoner's curiosity, as he understood that it was usually prohibited for spacecraft to be active above the Yolkian capital during the feedings.

Again, the Prisoner found himself looking back at the arena, when the thrilled screeches from the crowd somehow increased in volume. The massive cage door containing Poultra had ascended. It was time for the show to begin. The stadium's crowd quietened down for a moment, as they awaited the entrance of their most esteemed bird.

A sudden piercing roar echoed through the annals of the stadium, as the head of Poultra emerged from its hiding place. The rest of its immense body followed, causing the crowd to go ballistic. Even the two guards on the Prisoner's flanks joined in on the cheers. Not the Prisoner though. Instead, he grimaced. No matter how much he tried, he could never prepare himself for what was about to come next.

The beast roared again, keeping in time with the crowd. A second gate, on the eastern side of the arena had just opened. It would be mere seconds before Poultra's 'delicacies' came trotting out into the center, presenting themselves to the monstrosity against their will.

The Prisoner grimaced even more, as the first victim emerged. It was clad in the all-too-familiar green jumpsuit, a strange helmet device wrapped tightly around its head. The Gorlock's legs moved as one unit, each rising stiffly in the air as it shambled forward. Its arms swung exaggeratedly from side to side, making the poor alien appear even more like a puppet. More and more followed behind the lead, mimicking her movements in perfect sync.

Soon, the whole of the monthly crop had emerged from their holding location. Two dozen in total, the Prisoner counted. They systematically spread out in a rectangular formation, four rows of six, right in front of Poultra. The beast bellowed out another intense screech, followed by recipricatory responses from the crowd. It was time for the ceremony to begin.

The operator, situated in a tower not far away from the Royal balcony, hit a button on his remote. Instantly, the amphitheatre was filled with the sounds of the ceremonial music- a tune that sounded strikingly similar to the Chicken Dance. It was yet another cruel reminder of his failure to save the Gorlocks. He wanted so desperately to look away… and yet, he found that he couldn't. In a way, the Prisoner agreed with Goobot. He needed to see the feedings. He needed to remember that he had failed.

As he scanned over the individual Gorlocks dancing about on the ground, something caught his eye. Three somethings, more specifically. There was a small group of Gorlocks, in the far right side of the second row. They weren't keeping in time with the song as exactly as the rest of their peers were. Their movements were more erratic, less stiff… non-puppet like. The Prisoner squinted, as he wondered what had caused the mishap.

When the middle Gorlock nearly fell over, but caught himself, he came to a startling realization: _they were in control_. How had this happened? How had these three specific Gorlocks retained their self control? What were they planning? Would the Yolkian guards notice their sporadic movements? All theses questions and more echoed through the Prisoner's mind. He longed to help the trapped aliens, but knew that he wouldn't be able to do anything from his position.

Just as the song began to wind down, the three independent Gorlocks sprung into action. With striking speed and agility, they began tearing the mind control helmets off of their comrades, returning their lost self control. The crowd's cheers turned into a chorus of angry roars, as they realized that the crop had taken the reins from the operator. In just a few seconds, the three Gorlock rebels had freed the rest of their brothers and sisters, and were now making a beeline for the eastern side of the arena. The Prisoner stared, slack-jawed at the spectacle.

The Prisoner then noticed, that the two guards responsible for keeping him in line, had their attention entirely directed on the interruption in the arena. The Gorlocks were nearing the opposite side of the arena now, with Poultra catching up behind them. Panning back and forth between the two clueless Yolkians, the Prisoner decided that he had found his long-awaited opportunity.

He backpedaled back toward the balcony's exit, and surged forward with all his might at the guard on the left side. Caught completely by surprise, the Yolkian was sent sailing over the side, down into the arena below. The Prisoner wasted no time watching him fall to his demise, and turned toward the other guard. He was still fixated on Poultra, who was currently struggling to fit through the eastern gate.

Using the strength he'd been building up over the last three years, the Prisoner wrenched the spear from the unsuspecting guard's hands. The Yolkian spun around too late, and discovered the Prisoner currently mid spear thrust. He shattered the Yolkian's glass visor, and pierced straight into its green mass of goo. The guard cried out in agony, and plonked onto the balcony floor. Two down.

With only one possible exit, the Prisoner steeled himself for the fight to come. As he approached the balcony door, it suddenly opened _before_ he arrived at them. A third Yolkian guard was standing in the doorway, spear held passively down at his side in one hand.

"What in Poultra's name is-" the guard began. The Prisoner didn't give him time to finish, instead ramming the spear directly into its center mass. He continued his rush out into the hallway, smashing the guard up against the wall, and driving the spear deeper into the Yolkian suit. Like the second guard, it clanked harmlessly to the ground, the still-alive Yolkian muttering curses at the Prisoner. Rather than try to pry his weapon from its body, he instead opted for the fresh spear clutched in the useless hand of his disabled foe.

The Prisoner quickly swerved left, and caught sight of two more Royal Guards zooming towards him. Behind them, and perhaps even more curiously, a plethora of other Yolkians were zipping down the hall in the _opposite_ direction. He quickly hypothesized that they were responding to the Gorlock revolt in the lower levels of the arena. It was ultimately a good thing; the less guards for him to fight, the better.

While he had spent his time in the Yolkian cell bolstering his physical strength and stamina, the Prisoner was hardly a competent fighter. He had basically no experience in hand-to-hand combat, preferring to engage his enemies at range. Of course, it wasn't like he had a choice now. As the two guards closed the final gap, the Prisoner bent his knees, and drew his spear up across his chest.

In a display that left the Prisoner somewhat confused, the leftmost guard stopped moving, instead allowing his comrade to begin combat. While he didn't understand the implications of this combat strategy, fighting the guards one by one would certainly be easier. The guard charged him at full speed, spear outstretched.

The Prisoner hopped out of the way of the wayward Yolkian a second too late. The tip of the spear sliced right through the thin fabric of his prison garments, and cut into the skin underneath. He was unable to resist the urge to hiss in pain, before recovering quickly. Taking the initiative, the Prisoner thrusted his spear towards the guard's head. He successfully shattered the glass dome protecting the alien, but the deadly spearpoint coasted right between its vulnerable eyestalks.

Before the Prisoner could retract his weapon, the guard smacked him painfully in the side of the head with the blunt side of his own. It was followed up by a strike in the gut, causing the Prisoner to recoil, and lose his balance. He collapsed onto the ground, hitting his uncovered head in the process. Between the pain in his head and stomach, the Prisoner could hardly think.

He opened his eyes, barely in time to see the guard looming over him, poised to strike the killing blow. Remembering his electric binds, the Prisoner hoisted his arms up, just in time to block the incoming spear. The metal contacting the cuffs had an instant and satisfying reaction: the Royal Guard surged with arcs of electricity, and lost control over his shell's systems for a few crucial seconds. The force of the blow also successfully shattered the link between the cuffs, giving the Prisoner free range of movement. With a pained grunt, he leapt to his feet.

The guard about-faced just in time to find himself skewered on the end of the Prisoner's spear. It penetrated downward, through the green matter of the Yolkian itself, into his shell. Like before, he released the spear, and snatched up the one that the now-deceased guard had dropped to the floor. Unfortunately for the Prisoner, he couldn't predict what happened next.

A small explosion erupted in front of him, sending him tumbling to the ground a second time. The damaged Yolkian shell had seemingly taken on a mind of its own, rocketing through the air at an extreme velocity. It exploded brilliantly above the Prisoner and the remaining guard, almost like an impromptu fireworks show. Chunks of wire, metal, and Yolkian splattered across the hallway, decorating it in a wide assortment of debris.

It took the Prisoner a few precious seconds to make it to his feet for the second time, just in time to be nearly knocked over _again_. The second Yolkian had beelined towards him after watching his comrade burst into flames, and was currently shoving him towards the wall, using his spear as a lever. The Prisoner gripped the sides of the weapon, struggling to resist the mechanical strength of his adversary. His back came into contact with the wall, and he realized he'd run out of retreating space.

The icy cold of the metal spear came into contact with the Prisoner's neck, causing him to recoil slightly. His windpipe became sufficiently compressed under the weight of the Yolkian's weapon, depriving him of much needed oxygen. The guard squinted its two beady eyes, a mix of anger and righteousness clouding them. Its mechanical fangs fixated themselves into a menacing grin. Desperate for an escape, the Prisoner scanned his surroundings. There was nothing in the immediate area he could reach, let alone use to his advantage.

He realized that he was precious seconds away from unconsciousness, and subsequently death… or worse. The fact that he was so close, so _immeasurably_ _close_ , to escaping the hell he had resided in for three years, only made the matter worse. The Prisoner calculated that he would likely never face favorable conditions to this degree again. Failure was _not_ an option.

With another grunt, the Prisoner wrenched one of his hands free from the Yolkian's spear. The pressure on his neck increased, and he quickly slipped his remaining hand towards the middle to rectify this development. With his free hand, he reeled his fist back as far as he could, and threw a forceful punch at the alien's slim visor.

Other than causing it to flinch, no damage was done to the guard. The Prisoner, on the other hand, resisted the urge to scream. He could already feel the inflammation building in his knuckles. Nonetheless, he struck the Yolkian's faceplate again. And again. Four, five, six times he struck the alien's visor. Realizing what he was trying to do, the Yolkian guard chuckled at him.

Lashing out angrily at his foe's arrogance, the Prisoner threw a seventh strike. He felt one of his fingers dislocate from the force of the hit, but when he noticed the crack that had formed in the glass, it was entirely worth it. The Yolkian's grin was briefly replaced by shock, before it reformed into an angry scowl. It somehow increased the pressure on the Prisoner's neck, causing the edges of his vision to blur.

Another punch. The crack widened. Another, and the crack widened even more. On the tenth hit, the fracture spread across the whole of the screen. With a triumphant smirk, the Prisoner swung a final time. His fist crashed through the protective visor, the broken glass leaving innumerable tiny cuts across his abused hand. He wasted no time, and in one move he had painfully taken hold of the guard's two eyestalks. Lacking remorse, he yanked on them as hard as he could.

The Yolkian instantly cried out, and recoiled in pain. His spear fell to the ground, as his own mechanical arms frantically grabbed at the Prisoner's hand, desperate to escape his vice grip. Placing his good hand against its shell, the Prisoner began pulling the alien out through the broken glass visor. It continued to curse him in pain, as he forcefully removed it from its body. In a short few seconds, the shell clattered uselessly to the ground.

Holding the alien in his bad hand, the Prisoner stared at the defeated Yolkian angrily. Gone was its triumphant grin, being replaced entirely by sheer terror. The lividity in him wanted to crush the alien, to brutalize it in every possible way. As the Prisoner continued to look on the petrified form of the Yolkian, however, he felt his merciless resolve weaken. He wasn't like them. He couldn't commit such vile acts, even on his enemies… and even when warranted. Instead, the Prisoner opted for a different route.

"I'll let you live…" he began, breathing heavily. "If you open the door to Goobot's emergency hangar." Originally, the Prisoner had just planned on getting in the old-fashioned way, but with the assistance of his defeated foe, access to Goobot's escape ship would be much easier.

"Yes! Please! If you only show mercy I'll give you want you want!" begged the creature. Without uttering a response, the Prisoner began limping down the hallway, in the direction of his destination.

It took him a few moments to reach the door, and a few seconds longer to identify it. The Prisoner was certain of its contents, because it was the only door in palace hallway that had a retina scanner on it. He hoisted the Yolkian up, and placed one of its eyes practically on the scanner. A flash of green, followed by a beep, and the doors opened. The Prisoner turned, and looked down at the captured Yolkian. Its eyes stared up at him pleadingly.

"Thank you." he told the alien, before hurtling it down the hallway. The alien screamed as it flew, before plopping safely on the carpet. The Prisoner didn't wait around to hear his reply. He slid inside the dark room, and shut the doors behind him. Motion-activated lights quickly clicked on, revealing the interior of the room.

Just as Goobot had promised, a small Yolkian ship was present. It wasn't a hulking monster, like the ones the Prisoner had encountered in his younger days. It was, however, lavishly decorated. The chicken figurehead on the front of the ship was golden, and adorned with multicolored gems of all kinds. The ship itself was painted up in a brilliant purple color scheme, accented with golden stripes throughout. The ramp leading up to the inside of the ship was already lowered, probably due to the promptness usually associated with the craft.

Before he could leave, however, the Prisoner would have to open the massive hangar doors. For obvious reasons, they were kept shut until the ship was supposed to be used. Thankfully, the Prisoner easily located a solitary computer console near the forefront of the chamber. He approached it earnestly.

As he moved to activate it, his right hand came into view. Already, it had swollen massively. He couldn't move at least two of his fingers, and a constant throbbing sensation was present. Cuts from the broken glass covered the whole of its surface. A quick look at the console told him that it would be nigh-impossible to operate with his disfigured limb.

"I probably should've used my left hand…" the Prisoner quietly mused to himself, being right-handed. He used his good hand to activate the console, and bring up its control interface. The Prisoner was thankful that he'd had past experience with Yolkian computers, otherwise the mysterious characters on the screen would've been indecipherable.

Shortly, the lumbering hangar doors were squeaking open, giving the Prisoner his cue. He vacated the console, and made his way toward the fanciful Yolkian craft. He steadied himself with his left hand, as he climbed up the ramp and into the main concourse. Movement-triggered lights once again activated, giving him a full view over the ship's interior.

He flicked a switch on the back wall next to the boarding ramp, causing it to close. Thankfully, the ship was too small to be difficult to navigate. A hallway leading straight down would take him to the cockpit, while the two rooms on the flanks were likely the King's quarters. The Prisoner continued his stride, until he'd made it to the entrance to the cockpit. With the press of a button, he was inside.

The regality of the ship's exterior wasn't totally lost inside. The cockpit, while much smaller than the last Yolkian craft he'd been in, was certainly still _royal_. A large, throne-esque seat, presumably for Goobot, was in the center fo the room, making it very awkward to navigate. It had always been obvious that the Yolkian king preferred form over function, but the fact that the Prisoner had to walk almost a full circle around the throne to access the pilot's controls, made him realize it even more.

As he approached the control console, the Prisoner began to wonder why Goobot even _had_ a throne. Yolkians had no legs, or limbs for that matter. Their shells provided them with hovering capabilities. Knowing Goobot, it was likely just a status symbol. He raked his hands over the console, until he found a power switch. The ship's systems quickly glowed to life, casting a multicolored glow across the Prisoner's face.

It didn't take him long to realize that operation of the ship's complex systems would be nearly impossible with one hand. Far too many things needed to be accounted for for him to use his single, functioning hand. The Prisoner wasn't about to give up, though. There was always another way. As he searched the console for any sort of autopilot function, he stumbled across a filtered, speaker-like object. The Prisoner's mind quickly began to wander…

"Uh… hmm… hello? Computer?" he asked. The ship was likely one of the most expensive in the whole Yolkian fleet. Surely it supported voice operation.

Silence for a few, short seconds. Suddenly, a chipper, Yolkian announcer rang through.

"Hello! I am the voice of His Royal Majesty, King Goobot V's, majestic royal transport spacecraft." declared the computer. "How might I assist you, pilot?"

"Thank the stars…" the Prisoner proclaimed quietly. "Uh, yeah, I'm looking for the autopilot. My… um… shell's hand modules have been crippled, and I am unable to pilot the ship manually." he explained.

"Oh, how terrible! I suggest you report to the nearest pod maintenance bay as quickly as possible!" the computer insisted. "Autopilot, you say? What are the coordinates His Majesty desires?"

The Prisoner paused. He wasn't entirely what Earth's coordinates were, based on the Yolkian star maps. Hopefully the computer would recognize his home planet by name.

"Earth." he stated. The computer didn't immediately reply.

"Ah, yes! Earth, home of the terrorist Jimmy Neutron, may his bones be crushed. Coordinates sixteen point two-seven-five by forty point five-five-seven." chirped the operator.

"So you can take me- er, us, there?" the Prisoner asked hopefully.

"Of course! I go wherever His Majesty requires I go. Approximate time of cruising speed arrival: five hours." it informed him happily.

"Home free." the Prisoner couldn't help but smile, in spite of himself. "Excellent, computer. Set course for Earth, and don't stop for anything."

"As you wish, pilot. Inform His Majesty that we will arrive promptly." the computer ordered him.

The Prisoner turned around, and eyed the vacant throne behind him.

"Will do."

The Prisoner turned, and ascended the small ramp to the golden throne. He took a seat, and stared out at the front of the cockpit. The blast shields on the front of the ship creaked open, revealing a perfect view of the Yolkian capital. Hundreds and hundreds of buildings, millions of street light posts illuminating the extensive roadways that lined the massive city. There, seated upon Goobot's throne, the Prisoner realized that he was no longer a prisoner. Once again, he was James Isaac Neutron… and he was free.

The ship's engines rumbled to life, and Jimmy quickly grabbed onto the arms of the throne for support. With no safety belts in sight, he hoped the rest of the ride would be smooth. He felt the ship rise steadily from the ground, as more noises echoed through its narrow hallways. For a moment, Jimmy simply sat there, hovering in the palace hangar. In the next, he was rocketing out above the Yolkian capital, breaking mach speed easily. The ship's computer directed them on a steady course skyward, beginning the long journey back to Earth.

As he soared higher and higher, Jimmy felt a pang of guilt. He felt wretched for leaving the Gorlocks down on Yolkus alone. He had promised April that he would rescue them from the clutches of Goobot, and to that end he had failed miserably. Of course, the logical part of him knew better. Jimmy hadn't been in any state to assist the Gorlocks on the ground, what with a broken hand, and a lack of his inventions. He likely would've been killed, or returned to his cell to rot for a few more years.

Without further debate, he resolved to return to Yolkus, after he'd recovered and tooled up back on Earth. He'd walked right into Goobot's hands last time, but this time it would be different. The Gorlocks would be liberated, and the Yolkians would get what was coming to them. Goobot's reign of terror would be ended once and for all.

For now though, Jimmy knew it was best to relax. He couldn't do anything until he'd made it home, and retrieved his hypercube. Not to mention all the conversations he'd have to have. Everyone would want some explaining, especially Cindy. She would probably yell, and cry… and yell some more, but in the end he would just be happy to see her. His parents, Carl, and Sheen too would probably have some choice words for him. And they certainly wouldn't like his plan to return to Yolkus so soon.

Jimmy pressed his head back against the hard frame of the throne, seeking any modicum of comfort he could get. The chair had obviously not been designed with human comfort in mind, but it would surely suffice. He stared out at the vast expanse of space in front of him, doing his best to get lost in the millions of stars… and the strange blasts of green and red in the distance.

Were those fireworks? In the distance, above Yolkus, Jimmy could make out brilliant explosions of color. While he knew the quarterly feedings were a huge cause for celebration, he'd never heard of the Yolkians doing anything in outer space. As they drew nearer, Jimmy began to make out dots. Hundreds and hundreds of dots, seeming to be the source of the explosions of color. Jimmy squinted, and leaned in closer.

As the distance between he and the light show closed, he realized the dots were much more than dots. They were ships. They were thousands of them, undoubtedly. Yolkian heavy cruisers, battleships, and frigates swarmed about frantically, firing banks of green in every direction. Jimmy's eyes widened as he realized what was going on.

There was a battle. Above Yolkus.

He craned his neck again, trying to identify the adversary the Yolkians faced. While he was much closer than before, he was still much too distant to make out anything concrete. The other ships sported a burgundy color, and fired out rays of bright red, in contrast to the Yolkian green.

"Computer, are you picking up any transmissions?" Jimmy asked loudly.

"Why yes I am, pilot. A distress signal, from Yolkus' 251st Combat Wing." the computer replied. Jimmy scrunched his eyebrows curiously, and placed his palm against his chin.

"What are the details of the signal?" he followed up.

"Mayday. Under attack by unknown foe, engaged just outside of the Dervis cluster. Need immediate backup- losses are heavy." the computer recited flawlessly.

"Can you tell me how long the broadcast's been running?" Jimmy asked finally.

"For approximately one hour." answered the ship friendlily.

While the numbers probably weren't exactly on the mark, that meant the Yolkians had been embroiled in the skirmish above their planet for an extended period, well before Jimmy had been escorted out to the balcony. From the looks of it, the Yolkians had all hands on deck. If that _were_ the case, it would also explain Goobot's absence from Poultra's feeding.

As the thought crossed his mind, Jimmy caught sight of the Yolkian flag ship. He continued to coast at a safe distance (or so he thought) from the battle, but now he was close enough to see the Yolkian side of the conflict. The flagship was facing away from him, firing a host of large broadside guns at the unknown foe across the expanse of space. It appeared to have taken its fair share of damage, having lost the ceremonial crest off the top of it's chicken figurehead.

Jimmy then directed his attention to the opposite side of the battle, where the unknown aggressors lay. Unlike the uniform nature of the Yolkian vessels, these ships were the total opposite. Most of them looked completely different from one another. Not one was symmetrical, or even close to the same shape of another. Almost like someone had turned a modern art masterpiece into an interstellar warship.

"Can you patch me into the flagship's communications?" Jimmy asked. "His Majesty wants to hear a status report from the admiral at hand."

"Of course! Anything for His Majesty!" proclaimed the ship. "One moment."

Silence filled the ship, as Jimmy continued to watch the unfolding battle. Nearby, one of the smaller Yolkian vessels, a frigate, exploded brilliantly. Suddenly, a large burst of static followed, and the cockpit was soon filled with the voices of a dozen frantic Yolkians.

"There's another one coming in at mark two-seven!"

"Copy, green leader. Will adjust for travel time."

"Need another charge here on deck six!"

"Medical assistance requested in laser bay fourteen!"

Jimmy cringed at the amount of noise pouring into the cockpit. He needed to filter out all the extra dialogue pouring in from the capital ship.

"Can you restrict the transmissions to the control deck?" Jimmy shouted, attempting to talk over the Yolkian crew.

"As you wish!" responded the computer. Another burst of static, and all the voices dissipated. Jimmy was about to ask if something was damaged, when another voice pierced the sanctity of his ship.

"Your Majesty, I simply must insist we retreat! Our shields are buckling, and the rest of the fleet isn't faring any better!" a disgruntled Yolkian cried.

"Silence! I refuse to be beaten by a bunch of cowards who won't reveal themselves to I, King Goobot V of Yolkus! We will stand and fight!" Jimmy watched from his ship, as an explosion burst from the side of the huge vessel.

"What was that?!" Goobot asked angrily.

"Engine bay four, your Majesty! It's been destroyed!" the engineer answered.

"Confound it all! Direct all fire on their capital ship!" Goobot declared loudly.

"It will be done, your Majesty."

Jimmy followed the traces of green as they left the Yolkian ship, and barreled towards a looming mass of burgundy some distance in front of it. It was certainly the most imposing of any ship on the field, being at least one and a half times the size of Goobot's vessel. The main body was covered in large, burgundy metal plates, covering up a rough, metallic undercarriage. The menacing craft sported a massive, purple-glowing disk on the side facing the Yolkian fleet, and a bright white insignia plastered next to it that Jimmy had never seen before.

The bottom of it was made of what looked like a caricature of fire, with a perfectly-drawn circle sitting atop it. Topping it all off, was a downturned crescent. Jimmy wasn't sure what it meant, or who it was that operated behind it. However, if they were dedicated to destroying the Yolkians, he mused that they couldn't be _too_ different.

"Your Majesty, we're detecting a huge power surge on the hostile capital ship!" declared the engineer panickedly.

"What of it!? Keep firing!" Goobot brushed off the engineer's warning.

Jimmy had an idea of where the power might be going. He directed his attention to the aforementioned disc, on the side of the enemy ship. As he'd predicted, it was now surging with wide, bright arcs of electricity. Soon, the whole structure was alight with purple energy. Whatever was about to happen, couldn't be good for the Yolkians.

The silence of space only added to the eeriness of what happened next. A huge beam of purple burst from the side of the craft, blasting straight through the hull of the Yolkian flagship. It ruptured the craft in half effortlessly. Fire surged forth from the breach, encompassing both sides of the vessel almost instantaneously. The panicked voices of the Yolkian crew soon filled Jimmy's cockpit.

"What?! What was that?! Status report, you fools!" Goobot demanded.

"The hull's been ruptured, Your Majesty! Shields are down, turrets are offline… we're completely useless!" bellowed the engineer. It would seem the Yolkian capital ship had sung its last song.

"Nonsense! As long as we are able, we shall battle the enemy on!" Goobot proclaimed fanatically. An explosion rocked the intercom, earning a terrified screech from the aforementioned king.

"Ready the escape pods! We're evacuating! Royalty first!" Goobot's tune had changed quite quickly. Jimmy couldn't help but smile.

"As you wish, Your Majesty!" responded the engineer.

Jimmy continued to watch the unfolding battle. With the Yolkian capital ship decimated, it was apparent that they were on the losing end of the engagement. The rest of their battleships had already sustained heavy damage, or were destroyed entirely. A frigate narrowly listed past Jimmy's tiny craft, causing him to recoil in shock.

"Computer, make sure you account for space debris on your plotted course." Jimmy warned the ship.

"Of course, pilot." the computer replied quietly. Immediately, the entire ship surged forward, as an explosion rocked the rear of the craft. Jimmy was sent tumbling from the throne, onto the hard ground. He managed to bring his arms up, as to protect his face, but landed painfully on his wounded hand.

"Computer!" He immediately called. "What did I say?" How could Yolkian computers be more incompetent than their designers?

"Negative, pilot." The computer replied, to Jimmy's surprise. The computer suddenly projected a large, holographic screen above the control dashboard. It was a perfectly rendered image of the rear of the Yolkian craft. Jimmy understood the computer's words, when he noticed the two, small, burgundy craft trailing behind them.

"They think I'm one of them…" Jimmy whispered. This wasn't good. He'd made it too far now to get sucked into the vacuum of space now… especially at the hands of someone who was a common enemy of the Yolkians.

"Computer, can you hail those craft?" the crippled genius asked, standing from the floor. Another hit caused him to stagger once more. Silence.

"They are refusing all transmission requests, pilot." The ship finally stated. Another hit, harder than the last. Jimmy slid forward, and caught himself on the console.

"Uh… do we have any defenses? Anything that can knock those fighters out?" he asked frantically.

"Negative, pilot. This craft is only equipped with passive defenses, such as shields." the computer replied apathetically.

"Well, we have to do something!" Jimmy yelled. He searched the dashboard for any possible solution. "Do you have any ideas?"

"I can run an evasive maneuver protocol." the computer suggested. Jimmy didn't give it a second thought, before turning and bounding back to the throne.

"Do it!" he ordered.

"As you wish, pilot." the ship answered, before violently swerving right. Jimmy practically tore the arm off the throne gripping onto it. The craft continued its erratic movements, as bolts of red soared dangerously close to the cockpit.

"Are there any safety belts on this thing!?" Jimmy hollered. "His Majesty requests them!"

"Of course, anything for His Majesty!" the ship echoed. Two seat belts sprung from unseen compartments near the top of the throne. Two matching locks subsequently rose up on bottom of the seat. Jimmy wasted no time connecting them… only to realize they were ridiculously loose. Obviously not designed for his dainty, human form.

"It'll have to do…" he grumbled. The ship suddenly did a complete flip, leaving him hanging upside down for a few harrowing seconds. He slammed back down on the hard seat, hitting his head and further damaging his hand.

"Can't you fly a little steadier?!" he complained loudly.

"Not unless His Majesty wants to incur further damage from his pursuants, no." the ship replied snarkily. Jimmy bit back the urge to utter his own retort, remembering that he would be arguing with a literal _computer_. Instead, he clung even harder to the seat than he had before. Streaks of red continued to soar past the cockpit windows, doing nothing to ease his nerves.

For a gruelingly long few minutes, the ship continued to spin about, miraculously dodging every blast of high-temperature energy that came their way. Jimmy had given up on keeping his eyes open, becoming dizzy at the sight of the constantly spinning stars. He _almost_ sort-of wished the hostile aliens would vaporize him already, and spare him the sickening waves of nausea that had overcome him.

Until, it just stopped. The Yolkian ship suddenly righted itself, and ceased its erratic flying pattern. No more plasma bursts soared past the front of the spacecraft. Not even a slight shake, or a bump from behind. It was as if he had sailed out of the hurricane, into dauntingly calm waters. Exhaling, with surprise and relief, Jimmy looked down at the control console.

"Computer… what's going on?"

"It seems the pursuers have… well, stopped pursuing." chirped the artificial intelligence. Jimmy shook his head, rubbed his aching temples.

"Any idea why?" he asked afterward.

"Negative, pilot. Is His Majesty in acceptable condition? I know the flying was a little rough." the ship wondered concernedly.

"Yes, he's perfectly fine. And he thanks you for asking." Jimmy quipped.

"Excellent! Just doing my job, your Majesty." the computer added quickly.

"Damage report?" Unable to see the exterior in great detail, Jimmy had no idea if the ship was in good or bad condition.

"Hull integrity at sixty-seven percent. Left primary and backup engines have sustained significant damage. Afterburners nonfunctional. Landing gear is intact, as are all core systems and reactor integrity. Flight computer functioning at peak efficiency." the computer added proudly.

"Can we make it to Earth?"

"In our current state, yes. However, I cannot say for certain if that will be the case should we incur further trauma." the ship replied.

"Duly noted." Jimmy placed his face in his palm, and allowed relief to wash over him once again.

Though he was not without his battle scars, it seemed that he had made it. Three long years of waiting and watching had _finally_ paid off. Thanks to the actions of a few brave Gorlocks, most of the palace's security had been occupied during his escape. He felt the pang of guilt again, as his thoughts wandered back to the oppressed aliens. It only strengthened his resolve to return, and free them from their oppressors.

Of course, he also still had many questions. Who were the aliens that had come into conflict with the Yolkians? Goobot hadn't mentioned any large-scale extraterrestrial adventures undertaken by the Yolkian regime, not since the invasion of Planet Gorlock. He supposed it could be something as simple as a trade conflict, but judging by the size and ruthlessness of the enemy armada, it had to be something pretty serious. Especially if it warranted Goobot himself's presence.

That was a worry for another time, though. Now, it was just him, the ship, and a few million miles of empty space. In a matter of hours, he would be back home, safe and sound. Jimmy couldn't say he was looking forward to all the explaining he'd have to do, nor all of the yelling he'd have to endure from a certain blonde girl. That didn't discourage him, though. If anything, it made him feel better. The angry yelling meant she cared.

Jimmy smiled, and allowed his thoughts to wander, as he _again_ tried to get comfortable in Goobot's throne. For the moment, it was peaceful. There was no overbearing threat to he, or anyone he cared about's well-being.

He was home free.


	2. Chapter 2

**I forgot to put an author's note last time. Well, more like I thought that would be an option that I could tack on as I uploaded the story. Apparently not. This is hardly the first thing I've written, but it sure is the first thing I've posted. Let me know what you think. I've got a couple more chapters written, so I'll update accordingly. Until then.  
**

Cindy Vortex rolled over again, tossing her blonde locks frustratedly over her face. She brought an equally-frustrated hand up, and removed the annoying fibers from her line of sight. The clock placed strategically on the nightstand beside her bed informed her that it was 11:55 PM. With an angry sigh, she rolled back over.

She was tired. Tired, but unable to get to sleep. Her eyes burned… and not just from fatigue. No, there was far too much on her young mind to will herself to sleep on such an accursed night. The calendar hanging on the far side of the room told almost the entire story. A large red 'x' was placed over the current day of the month, the third of June.

It was only five minutes until the fourth, but that was of little concern to her. Just seeing the three on the calendar was enough to set her off. It was a day that Cindy had often since tried to place in the back of her mind… a task she inevitably failed at. It was two days before her birthday, a month and a day before Independence day, and sixteen days before her mom's birthday.

It was also the day he left.

Three years ago, Jimmy had left her… with the promise of a return in, at most, a week. That obviously hadn't happened. She had been so angry with him at the time, and yet she understood why he had to go. That didn't mean she didn't try to stop him, though. The fact that it had been April only made the matter worse in Cindy's eyes.

After going years without contact, Jimmy had received another one of the infamous message rocks, from a familiar green-skinned alien girl. Cindy was furious upon its arrival, but Jimmy just laughed and poked fun at her jealousy. Upon opening the message, however, there was nothing flirtatious about it.

April had sent Jimmy a plea for help. The message had been a poorly-recorded, last-minute decision on her part. According to April, the Yolkians had beset her homeworld, and were intent on wholly conquering all of Planet Gorlock. She requested Jimmy's help, and insisted that he needed to come as soon as possible. The alien girl didn't offer much detail besides that, to the annoyance of her _and_ Jimmy. After that, the message had spontaneously ended.

Cindy's response had been instant and decisive. She downright _forbid_ Jimmy from going on a "cockamamie rescue mission" to save his "alien girlfriend" (ignoring the fact that _she_ was his girlfriend). Jimmy had simply told her in response, that it was neither her, nor his choice. He _had_ to go. April was counting on his help, whether he wanted to or not.

Not that he didn't want to help her, of course. Jimmy obviously didn't have the negative feelings towards April that Cindy had. That also didn't mean Cindy wanted to see April dead, either. While she was certainly somewhat hostile towards the Gorlock girl, it was only because she was territorial… and as far she was concerned, Jimmy was _her_ territory.

Jimmy had moved straight into action after that, more or less. He'd cobbled together all sorts of things in the lab, just for his expedition to planet Gorlock. A homemade laser rifle, a vast assortment of medical accoutrements, and even a prototype armored spacesuit that he'd been working on for sometime. He packed all of this and more into his hypercube, and began plotting a course to the planet with the coordinates April had given him.

Throughout this entire time, Cindy had continually expressed her disgust with his plans, at some points refusing to talk to Jimmy out of spite. While she barked and yelled at him on the surface, deep down she'd wanted to cry. It wasn't often that Cindy had felt genuinely worried about Jimmy's safety, but this had been one of those times. The fact that he was so unbelievably brave and committed towards a friend he hadn't seen in _years_ , actually impressed her. If April had been the one sending _her_ the message rock, Cindy couldn't say that she would've acted the same way Jimmy had.

Despite all her yelling, and provocative actions, Jimmy simply tuned her out. Each time she would complain to him, he would simply reply "I'm sorry, Cindy. But I have to do it." No matter what she did, Jimmy never seemed to reciprocate her anger. Not once did he threaten to kick her out of the lab, or even yell at her in return. At one point, the fact that he was being so calm about everything had even started to piss her off.

" _ **What the hell gives, Neutron?!" she exclaimed loudly. Her shrill shout echoed through the lab. Jimmy dropped the device he was tinkering with on his workbench, and turned towards her.**_

" _ **What do you mean, Cindy?" he asked, after a long pause. Her staunch frown and angry stare didn't even flinch.**_

" _ **Why aren't you angry!? I've been yelling at you for days now... berating you every chance I get... being downright**_ **belligerent** _ **towards you. And nothing. Not even a rebuttal? Not even a**_ **little** _**outburst of anger?" Cindy questioned disbelievingly. Jimmy frowned, and shook his head. He moved away from the workbench in front of him, and approached her.**_

" _ **Because…" Jimmy began, looking her in the eye, "I understand."**_

 _ **Cindy's angry glare faltered, and she allowed her crossed arms to loosen a little.**_

" _ **W-" she stuttered, "what do you mean?"**_

" _ **I know why you're angry. I get it. It's perfectly reasonable." Jimmy explained. Those words alone were enough to shatter her anger.**_

" _ **Any logical person would criticize me for this undertaking. The odds against me are ludicrous, even for someone of my stature. The anger you're directing towards me makes complete sense- and is completely expected." Jimmy stated matter-of-factly.**_

 _ **And just like that, Cindy felt the fires of rage that had burned within her for days seemingly vanish, replaced by tsunamis of sorrow. Her angry frown switched to one of sadness.**_

 _ **Jimmy seemingly sensed her change in mood, and closed the gap between them. He hugged her close to him, causing the last bit of angry resolve she had to ebb away. Her arms dropped to her side, and she placed her head on his shoulder. A loud sniffle emanated from her nose.**_

" _ **Why…?" Cindy started. If not for the sniffles, Jimmy wouldn't have been able to tell she was crying.**_

" _ **Why what? Why do I understand?" Jimmy questioned.**_

" _ **No…" Cindy followed up, not moving off of him, "... why do you have to be so damned chivalrous?"she leaned her head up, and embarrassingly wiped away the few tears that had spilled over.**_

" _ **Being a man of virtue is very taxing thing, Vortex." Jimmy chuckled lightly after that. She glared up at him.**_

" _ **You're telling me." she replied, her voice only slightly venomous. Cindy was finding it very hard to remain peeved while he was clutching onto her so tight. Jimmy moved a hand up from her back, and softly stroked her hair.**_

" _ **Don't worry, as soon as I get back, I'll make it up to you." Jimmy offered. "If I'm lucky, I'll be back in time for your birthday."**_

" _ **You'd better." Cindy chided. Again, Jimmy chuckled. "I only turn fifteen once."**_

" _ **That's what you said last year." Jimmy replied, smirking at her. She just shook her head, and fought the urge to smile.**_

" _ **Now, if you don't mind, I have to finish calibrating my plasma cutter." he said, searching her eyes for permission. Cindy didn't immediately reply.**_

" _ **Fine." she conceded. "But we're getting something to eat soon. You skipped breakfast."**_

" _ **Whatever you say, ma'am."**_

That had been the first of June, two days before his departure. After that short talk, Cindy had kept her anger in check… at least, when she was around Jimmy. While she was hardly in a chipper mood in his presence, she was sure he'd appreciated her not taking his head off every chance she got.

Jimmy had neglected to tell anyone else he was going to help April. He and Cindy both had known his parents would hate the idea of him going on such a lengthy expedition, especially considering the dangers afoot. A couple of times, Cindy actually considered breaking the news to them, in hopes that they would be able rein Jimmy in more than she could. Cindy could never bring herself to do it, however. She respected Jimmy far too much to go above him like that. In hindsight though, maybe it would've been a better idea.

Eventually, the day of his departure arrived, along with the return of Cindy's anger. Determined to give one last show of resistance, she wouldn't even help him pack his rocket. It was admittedly childish of her to be so pouty, but at the time she didn't care. When he'd announced across the room that he was only minutes away from launch, Cindy had sprinted over to him, and demanded one final time that he stay.

" _ **Cindy, we've been over this. I have to go. April and the Gorlocks need my help." Jimmy replied, giving her a stern look. It lacked the meanness that was reflected in her own.**_

" _ **Neutron, surely she has some other genius alien friends that can lend her a hand. There's no way you're the**_ **only** _**one on her contact list that can help!" Cindy proposed.**_

" _ **April wouldn't have sent for me if she didn't need me, Cindy. I know you're not her biggest fan, but…"**_

" _ **This has nothing to do with that alien skank!" Cindy shouted. "This is about you! You don't seem to be accounting for everything!" Jimmy gave her an inquisitive look.**_

" _ **I assure you, I've prepared for every statistical possibility. If you want, you can review the inventory on my hypercube. I have it recorded all right here-" Cindy cut him off.**_

" _ **I'm not talking about that, you dingbat! I'm talking about**_ **other people** _ **." Cindy clarified. This statement gave Jimmy pause.**_

" _ **Neutron…" Cindy began, swallowing hard. She didn't want a repeat of two day ago.**_

" _ **You realize what it'll do… if something happens to you? To Carl and Sheen? To your parents?" Cindy took a shaky breath. "To me?"**_

 _ **A deafening silence filled the space between them.**_

" _ **Parents rarely recover from the death of a child… especially if they only have one." Cindy opened. She was sniffling now. "Carl and Sheen would be lost without you."**_

" _ **And as for me…" Cindy trailed off, looking away from him. She didn't like talking about her feelings, even to the person she cared about the most.**_

" _ **Dammit, Neutron. I need you. More than you can possibly imagine." the pauses Cindy took between each statement revealed the true difficulty she was having in making such admissions.**_

" _ **Cindy-" he started. She quickly interrupted him.**_

" _ **It's ridiculous, how much I think about you. All the time. No matter what I'm doing, you're always there, in the back of my mind, or the front. In my dreams, even." she continued, clicking her tongue loudly. Jimmy's jaw had gone slack.**_

" _ **My point is… if anything happens to you, Neutron… it'll destroy us." Cindy admitted. "I can't fathom going on with my life without you in it. And I don't want to." Tears were coming out now, undoubtedly. She made no attempt to hide them.**_

 _ **Cindy didn't say anything else, giving Jimmy his cue to speak. It was a long time before he did.**_

" _ **Cindy, I'm sorry. I- you-" he stuttered. "It's not an easy decision for me to make. But I won't be able to live with myself, knowing I abandoned the Gorlocks like that, when they needed me most." Jimmy explained. Cindy gazed up at him, and could tell even now that he was conflicted.**_

" _ **Then at least take me with you, dammit!" she shouted. "You don't have to do this alone!" she decided to try one final tactic.**_

" _ **My long distance rocket only has one seat." Jimmy explained, indicating the upright space-faring vehicle next to him. "Besides, I wouldn't risk you getting hurt."**_

" _ **I am more than capable of handling myself, Neutron." Cindy spat. "Can't you at least take Goddard?" Jimmy shook his head.**_

" _ **I think you'll need him more than I do." the sincerity in Jimmy's tone was abundant. It was Cindy's turn to stand in silence.**_

" _ **So… there's nothing I can say? Nothing I can tell you that will make you stay?" Cindy whimpered. She felt so exposed, sputtering like a baby the way she was in front of him.**_

" _ **I'm sorry, Cindy. No, there isn't. I have to do this. If I had been the one seeking April's help, I'm sure she would've come without hesitation." Jimmy stated, finally.**_

" _ **Fine. Then…" Cindy took a long, deep breath. "Then I guess I have nothing left to say." she crossed her arms, and angled her face away from him. Jimmy's gaze hit the floor instantly.**_

 _ **A few seconds passed, before she felt his arms wrap around her. Unlike the day before, she resisted his embrace. There would be no easy concessions this time.**_

" _ **You have a knack for making me feel bad, you know that?" Jimmy said to her, attempting to grab her gaze. She continued to look away from him, until he gripped her chin and directed her towards him. Cindy was about to say something nasty, when he planted a chaste kiss on her lips.**_

" _ **I love you. Take care of Goddard, and my parents. And to some extent, Carl and Sheen. I have complete faith in you." Jimmy said. He released her, and turned back toward his rocket. Cindy, on the other hand, was frozen in place. Somehow, Jimmy had just waltzed away from her, after admitting he loved her. Like it was something he said all the time. Like it was something he said**_ **at all** _ **.**_

 _ **As his foot hit the first rung of the boarding ladder, Cindy slammed into him from behind, hugging him tightly. Twice now, he'd broken her angry resolve. So far, he'd been the only person to successfully raise and crush it in the same day. Jimmy smiled, and turned around to meet her hug.**_

" _ **I love you too. I'm so sorry, for everyth-" Cindy began to issue an apology of her own.**_

" _ **Hey, hey. Don't worry about it. It's fine." Jimmy stopped her, mimicking the hair-stroke he'd done two days before.**_

" _ **You better take care of yourself. I'm not looking to put any those first aid classes to use, especially not on you." she asserted. A light laugh escaped Jimmy's lips.**_

" _ **I'm sure you won't have to worry about that." Jimmy assured, before releasing her once more.**_

" _ **Well… I have to get going. If I find the methods, I'll contact you from Planet Gorlock. As for my parents, you know the drill." Jimmy gave her a serious look.**_

" _ **Yes. I do." Cindy nodded understandingly.**_

" _ **Very well. Alright, I must be going. At most, I estimate I'll be gone a week. If I end up being gone longer, I'll find some way to contact you and give you an update on the situation." Jimmy placed his foot on the rung of the ladder once more, and placed his hand against his chin. Cindy stared up at him silently, wondering if he would say anything more.**_

" _ **I'll be back. I promise." he assured her, finally. "Goodbye, Cindy."**_

" _ **Bye, Jimmy." she said sorrowfully.**_

And just like that, Jimmy had gone. He boarded his rocket, and in a flash, he had departed the sanctity of the lab. Cindy still remembered the pungent smell of smoke the rocket had left in its wake. It often seemed to materialize out of nowhere, painfully reminding her of that fateful day.

Obviously, Jimmy had never returned. This by itself was a major problem, but it created a plethora of separate issues for Cindy. The most glaring problem had been Jimmy's parents. The plan they had agreed upon was, that if he wasn't back in one week, that she would simply tell them he was on an extended space cartographing expedition. In all honesty, Jimmy's parents would've probably believed anything that she told them. Jimmy often took extended stays in the lab, not seeing his parents or other outsiders for days on end. Besides, they had little knowledge of what went on down in the lab, and even less of the trouble he got himself into up in space.

Surely enough, one week eventually passed by. No word from Jimmy in sight. His mother, Judy, had showed up at Cindy's house that day, asking to see her. Predictably, she'd asked Cindy if she knew anything about where Jimmy had gone. Cindy had dispensed the lie she and Jimmy had prefabricated the previous week, and Mrs. Neutron had left the house satisfied. It was only a temporary patch to a dam that was destined to break.

Eventually, two weeks came. By this point, Cindy herself had become concerned. Not being able to contact him made the matter all the more weighty on her conscience. Again, Mrs. Neutron appeared, asking Cindy this time if he'd said he'd be gone this long. Cindy assured her that he said it could be over a week before he returned. Once again, Mrs. Neutron departed… a little more disgruntled than the previous time.

When a month went by, things had started to get serious. Cindy was beginning to get seriously worried, as was the rest of her friends circle. Carl and Sheen didn't understand why Jimmy hadn't mentioned it to them, and wondered what he could be doing up in space for a whole month by himself. For a third time, Mrs. Neutron had come a-knocking. She was agitated, clearly worried about the health of her son. The concerned mother proclaimed that if Cindy was withholding information, she had better spill the beans. Between the questions, Mrs. Neutron's surprisingly effective angry glare, and Jimmy's ever-lengthening absence, Cindy broke down. She told her everything.

She told Mrs. Neutron about the message rock. How Jimmy had gone out on a solo mission to save April and the Gorlocks. How they'd come up with a ruse, in the event that he was gone for longer than projected. Cindy recanted all the things she'd said to try and stop him, all the while bawling her eyes out. Mrs. Neutron, losing her anger from before, had wrapped her in a comforting hug.

Once things had gotten calmed down, Cindy had apologized for lying to her. Mrs. Neutron was, somewhat surprisingly, pretty understanding. Despite the grim circumstances, Cindy insisted to Mrs. Neutron (and herself) that Jimmy would be back. She told her about how he didn't truly know how long he would be gone for, and that if he found a way, he would contact them.

While the situation had hardly been rectified, Cindy had felt leagues better telling Mrs. Neutron the truth. She didn't like lying to Jimmy's parents. They were nice, welcoming people. Telling them even a minor fib felt like a crime. Despite this, Cindy had still done it, for Jimmy's sake.

Things had only gotten worse from there. Cindy had been counting the days since he'd left, but with the passing of the first month each passing minute felt continuously more debilitating. She had seriously begun to doubt that everything had gone according to plan for Jimmy. As the days continued to come and go, she told herself that everything was alright. He would be back. He had promised.

Soon one month turned into two, two into four, and four into a year. By that point, the Neutrons were a sputtering mess. Cindy didn't have answers to their questions, and it became clear to them that something awful had happened to Jimmy. Carl and Sheen too, were concerned for Jimmy's well being. With every doubt that was cast her way, Cindy did her best to dispel them. She insisted that he would return. He had to. He had promised.

If there was one thing Jimmy _had_ been right about, it was that Cindy would need Goddard more than him. The robotic canine had become her defacto pet as soon as Jimmy's rocket had departed the lab. He'd followed Cindy home that night, and curled up at the foot of her bed as if it was something he'd done his entire life. Due to his mechanical nature, Goddard ended up filling many more roles than that of a traditional dog. He could "speak" through his built-in monitor, offer advice, provide logistical support, and much-needed comfort.

Despite this, Goddard couldn't solve all of Cindy's problems. Her social status, while already not exactly optimal, suffered even more. She became increasingly hostile towards the vast majority of her peers outside her friend group, snapping at anyone who pestered her for just a second too long. In private, she hung up her mask of anger, revealing the state of depression that had stricken her for sometime. Despite her perpetual sorrow, Cindy rarely cried. She reserved that spectacle for the anniversary.

Earlier that day, Libby had taken her to the Candy Bar, in an attempt to raise her spirits. The third year had been by far the hardest. Cindy had never imagined that she would graduate without Jimmy. Her mother had been thrilled that she'd risen to the top, but to Cindy it wasn't real. She hadn't earned the position. It had merely fallen into her lap, with the most favorable candidate having vanished into thin air.

To anyone else, it might sound ridiculous to make such a claim. Not to Cindy, though. Despite everything, she hadn't allowed her grades to suffer. She knew that Jimmy would've hated for her to slacken academically because of him, and continued to put forth the most effort she could muster. Cindy coasted through her senior year, maintaining a straight-A average and securing her position as #1. While she normally would've spent months formulating her graduation speech, without any serious competition, it was by far some of her least original work.

While the gesture from Libby was appreciated, there wasn't much _anyone_ could do to cheer her up. She put on a fake smile, and told Libby that she was okay. Like usual. She ate the sundae her friend treated her to, and departed without much further comment. It was obvious to Cindy that Libby was deeply concerned for her, but so far her longtime friend had failed to come up with a way to address the issue. Understandably, as Cindy wasn't sure there _was_ a way to confront the issue.

With high school finished, Cindy wasn't sure what her future plans were. College was obvious, but she didn't get the same excited feeling she used to when looking at Ivy League schools online. Her drive for higher education, her drive to do better… her drive for _greatness_ had just… died off. It was like the competitive half of her personality had never existed.

"That Neutron boy isn't everything, dear." her mother had often reminded her. Each time she said it, the words stung. Both as an insult towards Jimmy, and as truth. Jimmy _wasn't_ everything. He hadn't ran her life before (although he _had_ influenced it greatly), and he certainly didn't now. With him gone, though, Cindy simply wasn't the same. So much of her academic career had been centered around competition with him, even after they'd started dating. After Jimmy disappeared, she lost her direction.

With life looking bleaker by the second, Cindy tried not to think too much about the future. It was those long, "what-if" trains of thought that kept her up at night. Like right now. She'd been thinking for so long, it was almost half past midnight… and she still hadn't gotten a wink of sleep.

Doing her best to shove complex thoughts from her mind, Cindy did what she always did when she had trouble sleeping: she clutched a pillow to her chest, curled up her legs, and mentally told herself that everything would be alright. Things would work out. Eventually, Jimmy would return. He had _promised_.

But even Cindy had begun to doubt.


	3. Chapter 3

Jimmy inhaled sharply, as he regained consciousness. For a split second, he forgot where he was. The golden throne beneath him, and the sight of a ship's control console at his front served as quick reminders. He stretched his arms out, and let slip an exhausted yawn. His right hand was still throbbing with pain, his head still hurt, and an annoying cramp had spawned in his neck. Despite this, his spirits were high. After all, he was on his way home.

"Computer…" yawned the genius, "what's the ETA to Earth?"

"Arrival time to Earth estimated… ten minutes." the Yolkian computer replied. Ten minutes? How long had he been asleep? Jimmy shook himself, and straightened his posture.

He glanced down at his right hand, and nearly jumped in shock at its appearance. It was covered in cuts, and a large amount of dried blood covered its surface. Somehow, it had swollen up even more. It looked as if he'd suffered a serious allergic reaction to some form of medication. He'd have to perform impromptu treatment on himself once he landed.

Jimmy raised his head, and stared out the canopy of the ship. A familiar sight caught his eye: in the distance, he could make out a bright blue ball, speckled with green and white. The ship hadn't lied to him. Earth was on the horizon, only a few minutes away. The indisputable form of North America was facing toward them. Jimmy was thankful that they wouldn't have to fly around the whole of the planet to get to his destination.

He then remembered that he hadn't told the ship where to land.

While the computer had known the coordinates of Earth, it wasn't likely that it would know the planet's geography. However… Goobot had programmed Jimmy into the computer by name. The young genius wondered if the King had bothered to map the location of his home town.

"Computer, I need to set landing parameters. His Majesty wants to be taken to the headquarters of the terrorist Jimmy Neutron." he informed the computer.

"The headquarters of the terrorist Jimmy Neutron, may his bones be crushed? I see not why His Majesty would want to venture to such a wretched place, especially in an unarmed vessel such as this…" the computer mused.

"That isn't your concern, computer." Jimmy replied deftly. "His Majesty wills what His Majesty wills."

"Right, I'm so sorry! One must never question the will of His Majesty, King Goobot V!" the computer burst, realizing its error in etiquette. "Landing parameter set for coordinates two hundred fifty-three by six hundred ninety-four. Designation of landing site: Retroville."

"Excellent work, computer. You'll be commended for your excellence upon return to Yolkus." Jimmy promised. Of course Goobot had pre-programmed the location of his home.

"A... a commendation?! I've never heard of artificial intelligence being commended! Truly, it will be the greatest… and only… honor I have ever received!" the computer shouted excitedly. Jimmy still wondered why the Yolkians had bothered to give the ship's artificial intelligence a personality.

Judging by the position of the moon over the United States, Jimmy guessed that it was still night time, or very early morning. That meant he would have plenty of time to fix himself up, bathe, and get dressed before he made his appearance known. The Yolkian ship he'd hijacked was fairly smaller than the others, but it was still large by his standards. He'd have to land it somewhere more open, like Retroville Municipal Park. Jimmy doubted it would populated at such hours, giving him ample space to land the wounded chicken cruiser.

As they neared Earth, the sudden thought of all the explaining he'd have to do crept back up on Jimmy. If everything had gone according to plan, everyone would at the _very least_ know what had happened to him. If not… things would be a bit more complicated.

Explaining that he had to go back would be a whole other hurdle. He'd be lucky if Cindy ever let him go back out into space at all, after what'd happened this time. His parents too, would ultimately try to stop him. Jimmy didn't want to have to fight all of them, but he still had a mission to fulfill. The Gorlocks still needed saving. And if he had to go through his family, friends, and even Cindy… he would.

The ship was very close to Earth now. North America loomed on the horizon, its green fields and coastlines brilliantly illuminated by the billions of lights sprawling across the landscape. His eyes trailed down to texas, where he spotted a particularly bright light cluster. He'd long since memorized the location of his hometown, and the fact that he was once again laying eyes on it, was infinitely rewarding.

As if Jimmy was destined for a life of misery, his good thoughts came to an end, as a large explosion rocked the ship. The entire craft swerved violently leftward, slamming Jimmy up against the edge of the seat, and throwing them completely off course. A loud alarm began blaring in the cockpit, accompanied by flashing warning lights. After righting himself, Jimmy looked at the control console.

"Computer! Status report!" he demanded.

"It appears the left aft engine bay has ruptured, pilot!" the computer replied. "Breaching the atmosphere of the human planet seems to have pushed the bay's integrity over the edge!"

Not good. That meant they only had half a set of functioning engines.

"Agh… er- can you keep it steady!?" Jimmy asked the ship.

"I can try, pilot, but I can make no promises. If I make use of the port landing stabilizers, I can at the very least stabilize our current flight path." the computer replied, sounding distraught.

"Do it! We have to make it to Retroville!"Jimmy insisted.

"Pilot…" the computer began, sounding unhappy. "At the current speed and trajectory, I will be unable to slow down in time to make what would be considered an acceptable landing." the computer informed him. Things were getting better by the second.

"Great! Just what I needed to hear!" Jimmy replied, watching as Texas barreled closer and closer. They were going to crash… but that wasn't necessarily the end of the world. He'd seen Yolkian ships survive crashes before… albeit at much, _much_ lower speeds.

"Will we be able to survive a crash landing!?" he shouted. The computer "hmmmed" in response.

"With our current hull integrity, my calculations project an eighty-five percent chance of an intact crash landing." the computer sounded unsure of itself.

"What about passenger survival rates?!" Jimmy pressed.

"His Majesty should be fine." the computer replied, vaguely. Texas continued to widen in the windshield, the distance between Jimmy and the ground closing by the second. Despite the computer's best attempts, they were clearly listing slightly toward the left.

Jimmy could feel control slipping, as the ship continued its extreme downward decent. The G-forces were beginning to stack up against him. It would only be a matter of time before he lost consciousness. The thought of it was not a pleasant one- there was no telling what could happen to him during his period of involuntary hibernation. He needed to set up a rescue.

"Computer!" Jimmy shouted, hopefully for the final time. "I need you to send a transmission!"

"Short-range transmitters are still operational, pilot. What frequency do you request?"

"Frequency one four five three point four seven six!" Jimmy shouted. Goddard's encrypted transmission frequency. Hopefully the robotic dog would recognize the anomaly, and accept the broadcast. A few dangerous seconds passed, as Jimmy's vision began to redden around the edges.

"We're connected, pilot." the computer informed him.

"Patch me through!" Jimmy shouted. "Goddard, this is Jimmy! Listen boy, I don't have much time. I'm coming in hot, in a Yolkian ship. I'll be splashing down somewhere in Retroville… um, although, I don't know exactly where."

"You need to trace the source of this transmission, and get over to me ASAP! I'll likely be unconscious by the time we touch down, and I'll need you to sneak me back to the lab. Hurry, Goddard!" Jimmy concluded the transmission.

Something else exploded in the back of the ship, although not as violently as before. Jimmy could vividly see Texan ground, now. The massive, open fields, and heavily urbanized centers filled the canopy. It was too shaky for him to tell which one of them was Retroville… placing his fate entirely in the hands of the ship's navigational parameters.

"Pilot, does His Majesty have any final requests?" the ship suddenly asked. Jimmy took a moment to ponder the A.I.'s query.

"Try not to hit any houses, he says!" Jimmy decided… although he doubted it would do much good.

"No promises." the ship answered doubtfully.

The G force soon became too much for Jimmy. His grip on the golden throne slipped away, his arms slamming back against the rear of the chair, or flailing about on their own. His head was pressed uncomfortably against the solid wall of metal behind him, exacerbating his prevalent headache. Unable to resist further, he collapsed into an anxious unconsciousness. He only prayed that if he were to die now, that it would be quick.

It had taken her quite sometime, but eventually Cindy had dozed off around one in the morning. It was hardly a deep or meaningful sleep, but it was sleep nonetheless. Much to her satisfaction, no bad dreams haunted her subconscious. Of course, there weren't any good dreams either. Not that she'd had any of those in a while.

 _Unfortunately_ for Cindy, her semi-beauty sleep was interrupted once again. Sometime after she'd fallen asleep, she awoke to a bright light beaming her in the face. She futilely swatted towards the source of the disturbance, in a weak attempt to rid herself of its presence. No such luck.

Annoyedly, Cindy flashed open her eyes. She had assumed it was the sun blazing a path through her window, as it so typically did during the summer. To her surprise, it was still dark outside. Also to her surprise, the source of the bright light turned out to be Goddard. The robotic dog had stirred from his place at the foot of her bed, and was currently bouncing his curious high-beam eyes across the walls of her room.

"Goddard…" Cindy croaked, unable to stop herself from yawning. "What are you doing, boy? It's…" she glanced at the clock on her night stand "... five in the morning."

Rather than respond, Goddard's rear compartment clicked open. A satellite dish- something Cindy hadn't seen before- rose out from his back, and angled itself towards the window. Goddard's gaze soon followed, and he barked enthusiastically several times. Cindy immediately hushed him.

"Hey! You'll wake up the whole house!" she warned. "What's the big idea?"

The dog bounded off of her bed, and leapt neatly onto her window sill. He directed his gaze out the its left side, and peered up at the stars. Desperate to get the excited Goddard back to sleep, Cindy begrudgingly threw her legs over the side of the bed, and stood up. She made it across the room just in time to witness him open the window.

"Goddard! What the heck's gotten into you?" she whisper shouted. The dog gave her a quick glance, before stepping out onto the rooftop. Cindy leaned out, and grabbed onto his back leg, in an attempt to reel him back in. He denied her, and scrambled forward a few feet more. The frustrated blonde grumbled, and leaned out the window.

"What gives?" she asked, hoping he would provide her with some explanation. Goddard spun about, and flipped open the screen installed in his chest. An assortment of characters spewed out across its interface, spelling out _See for yourself_. Cindy gave him an inquisitive look.

The satellite dish on Goddard's back retracted, clicking back into his rear compartment. A rangefinder then sprung out in its place, with Goddard angling it precisely up into the sky. Cindy shook her head, and leaned out to use the binoculars.

She quickly spotted what she assumed Goddard had wanted her to see- a shooting star. It was large, and bright yellow. Nothing she hadn't seen before. Cindy pulled back from the rangefinder, and squinted at the robotic dog.

"A shooting star. Big deal, I've seen one a thousand times." she insisted. Goddard shook his head, and barked. He pressed the binoculars back towards her, imploring her to keep watching. Cindy grunted again, and took a second look.

It had grown considerably in size, in the few seconds she'd looked away from it. Almost like it was… coming towards them. It was. The huge ball of yellow and orange was speeding towards Retroville at unimaginable speed. Cindy's eyes widened, and her pulse quickened.

"It's coming right for us…" she realized. Goddard barked in confirmation. She took her eyes off the binoculars, and looked at the metal canine curiously. He looked… happy. His tongue was out, and his tail wagged back and forth eagerly.

"Goddard, that meteor's coming right for us!" she practically shouted, pointing up at the sky. The dog nodded.

"W- we- we have to do something!" Cindy insisted. Goddard nodded once more. She pressed her eyes back up into the binoculars for a final time, and took another look at the incoming space rock. It was much closer now, and she could discern some of its finer features through the flames that coated its exterior. Funnily enough, the meteor looked almost like…

"... a chicken?" Cindy wondered out loud. She dropped the binoculars, and looked up. It was right above them. A faint whistling sound could now be heard. While Cindy was much too tired and unprepared to make a precise calculation, she knew they were only seconds away from impact.

"Good God, Goddard! It's coming right for our street!" For the third time, he nodded. "We need to get the heck back inside!"

Goddard shook his head. Cindy's eyes bulged, and flailed her arms in anger and confusion.

"What do you mean no!? Are you nuts!? That thing's going to hit any second!" Cindy's eyes darted between Goddard and the looming meteor, unsure of how to convince the stubborn mutt to come back inside. She lunged forward, and grabbed onto both of Goddard's back legs.

It was a mistake.

Goddard barked in protest, and took to the skies. He lifted Cindy up out of her window, and several feet in front of her house. She shrieked in terror and surprise, kicking her legs wildly, in search of something safe to land on. Her breaths came quick and shallow, almost to a point where she was hyperventilating.

"Goddard! Put the me the hell down!" she ordered, looking up at her canine captor. The dog in question was staring down at her, looking quite smug. Cindy tossed another look at the meteor, and was nearly blinded from the intensity of its brightness.

"Goddard!" she shouted once more. He seemed to take the hint… albeit, not the way Cindy would've wanted him to. The robotic dog hovered her over to the edge of her roof, and laid her (not-so-lightly) on its surface. Just in time for the meteor to make impact.

A massive, explosion-tier sound rippled through the neighborhood. Instinctively, Cindy brought her arms up over her head, and curled her legs up into her chest. The sound of a million shattering windows followed the crash, as the meteor continued its trail of destruction down the street. The sound of crunching asphalt and sidewalk filled the air, as the road struggled to bring the massive piece of space junk to a halt. Bits and pieces of debris clinked across Cindy's roof, occasionally landing on her herself.

The whole ordeal took a only about ten seconds, but it felt like a lifetime. When the noises finally died down, Cindy opened her eyes. Her ears were ringing like crazy, but other than that, she felt fine. No pain. She glanced down at herself to confirm her lack of injuries. Other than some crumbs of asphalt on her pink robe, the lucky girl was wholly unscathed.

Cautiously, Cindy sat up. Her jaw dropped, as she stared at the utter destruction below her. A huge gulley had been dug out from the road, starting from the beginning of the street, going all the way down past the Neutrons' yard. Sidewalk had been torn up on both sides of the road, broken chunks of it littering the usually pristine yards of the neighborhood. At least ten mailboxes had been clipped, and all the windows that Cindy could see had been completely shattered. Small fires filled the wake of the crashed… ship?

What Cindy had thought was a curiously shaped rock, wasn't a rock at all. The hulk of metal had come in at a slight angle, and so was pointed slightly towards her side of the street. The chicken figurehead, albeit completely mangled, was still readily discernible on the edge of the ship.

Yolkians.

Somehow, it hadn't come apart in the crash. Some of the exterior paneling had flown off on the way down, but otherwise, it was in one piece. A large, bright inferno raged in the back of the ship. It was slowly making its way towards the front of the large craft, and showed no signs of stopping. So many questions filled Cindy's mind at once. Where had the ship come from? What were Yolkians doing back on Earth? Why had the ship crashed? Were there more of them?

Cindy's heart rate sped up even more, and she clutched her chest fearfully. Goddard still hovered nearby, seemingly mesmerized by the crashed Yolkian vessel. He didn't seem the least bit concerned about the fact that a hostile alien vessel had just careened into the middle of their neighborhood.

"Goddard!" she hissed. The dog turned about, and faced her. "What are we going to do?"

Rather than give her a reply, Goddard flanked around behind her, and bit onto the back of her robe. It took Cindy a second to realize what he was doing.

"No, no no! Not again! Put me down!" she squealed as he picked her up, and carried her at a dangerously high altitude over the street. They soared past her house, all the way down to the edge of the Neutrons' yard, where Goddard plopped her down on the soft grass. He landed next to her, and looked up at her with his glowing eyes.

"Would you stop doing that!?" she asked, impolitely. Cindy's flustered, drowsy demeanor was swapped out for a fearful one, when she realized Goddard had dropped them right next to the Yolkian vessel. Her gaze darted left and right, searching for a place to hide if need be.

"Goddard! What the heck's gotten into you!? We need to get out of here… like, now!" she cupped her hands around her mouth, amplifying the sound of her whisper-shout. Instead of listening to her, Goddard marched across the pavement, and approached the side of the immense, metal chicken head. Two beams of bright, red light projected from his eyes, as he began lasering his way into the vehicle.

"Are you suicidal!?" Cindy shrieked. She moved as close to the ship as she dared, stopping at the edge of the grass. Even from several feet away, the immense heat it was giving off hit her like a wall.

"You can't let them out of there, Goddard! There's no telling how many of them there are!" No response from Goddard. He was about halfway done cutting his entry hole.

"Why do I even bother? Why? Why?" Cindy asked her self aloud, shaking her head in furious confusion, as Goddard continued his cutting. Within a few more seconds, the lasering was done. Goddard leapt backward, just in time for the huge metal cutout to crash onto the pavement. Smoke immediately billowed forth, having built up inside the cockpit for sometime. Cindy could hear the crackling of flames from within, and the pops from the metal as it expanded with the growing heat. No Yolkians sallied forth from the breach, much to her relief.

Goddard immediately bounded into the clouded interior, Cindy losing visual contact with him. She clenched her teeth in frustration, and stopped herself from approaching the vessel. It was still hotter than an oven, she reminded herself. She continued to squint and lean in towards the cockpit, attempting to get a look at whatever had Goddard so riled up. It was to no avail. Coupled with the lack of natural light, and thick smoke, her visibility inside was near zero. She'd just have to wait it out.

"What the hell?!" a voice from down the street bellowed. Cindy assumed it was one of the neighbors, having undoubtedly been woken up by the crashing of the ship. She hoped the Neutrons didn't walk out, and find her standing in the yard in just her robe. It would probably look a little more than weird.

A minute or so passed, before Cindy heard the familiar scratch of Goddard's metallic footsteps. He trotted out of the breach in the Yolkian cockpit, with a long metal platform protruding from his back. Almost like a stretcher. Something- no, two somethings were dangling off its left side. Cindy sighed with relief. At least it wasn't a Yolkian.

"Took you long enough. Now, what the heck was so important that you drag _me_ down here?" Cindy crossed her arms, and glared angrily at Goddard. He raised his head, and once more presented his chest screen.

 _See for yourself_. A repeat of his earlier words. She scoffed, and directed her attention to the shadowy mass on Goddard's back. Upon closer inspection, it was a familiar shape. Almost… human. Cindy gasped audibly, and covered her mouth with her hands.

It couldn't be.

She practically threw herself down on the grass next to him. Cindy quickly raked her eyes over his limp form. Her lips quivered, as she reached out and touched his arm nearest her. To her relief, a faint pulse rippled beneath his singed sleeve. He was incredibly warm. His body was covered by a long, dirty, brown jumpsuit. The hair on his head had been shaved, in a military-esque style. His eyes were closed, his face covered with grime and ash. Cindy struggled to breathe. Jimmy was right in front of her.

Was this real?

For good measure, she pinched herself. Her surroundings didn't change. Unable to further resist, Cindy allowed tears to spill over onto her cheeks. She laid her head on his chest, and took a moment to try and calm herself. A wave of emotions so ridiculously powerful and diverse washed over her like a tsunami, crippling her ability to think and speak. Jimmy was home… and he'd made quite an entrance.

A bark from Goddard ripped her back to reality. Cindy suddenly remembered that he'd _crash landed_. The amount of smoke in the cockpit, and the fact that he was unconscious, couldn't be good. There was no telling what other injuries he had. It was too dark out for Cindy to take a serious look at him.

Reading her mind, Goddard had already started walking towards Jimmy's clubhouse. She immediately moved to catch up with him, and opened up the door for the metal mutt. Goddard awkwardly slipped inside, nearly getting Jimmy's free-hanging arms and legs caught in the doorway. As soon as the three of them were securely inside, Cindy slammed the door shut.

She had to stop herself from breaking out in a sprint towards the lab. So eager she was get a closer look at Jimmy, and to begin treating his wounds. Not to mention the three years' worth of questions she'd built up, were about to burst out of her all at once. Not that it would do any good, with Jimmy still unconscious.

In a (thankfully) short amount of time, Goddard and Cindy had successfully transported Jimmy into the bowels of his lab. The latter had to manually activate all of the facility's systems, as she hadn't been inside the lab in months. While they waited for VOX to boot up, Cindy helped Goddard lay Jimmy out on the long couch near the computer.

With bright lights giving her plenty to see by, Cindy crouched down, and took her time observing Jimmy. The most obvious change to his person, was the fact that he was totally built. Whatever he'd been doing for three years, it had the byproduct of causing serious muscle gain. She ran a hand over his left arm, like she'd done outside, and even gave it a squeeze. Practically rock solid.

Pulling her thoughts away from promiscuity, Cindy shook herself. She needed to observe and check him for wounds, not ogle him while he was unconscious. In order to get a better view, she stood up. Now that she could see his entire form better, one injury immediately made itself known: his right hand.

It had swollen up to an ungodly size, and was covered with dried blood. She reached out, and lifted his arm up so she could better examine it. Upon closer inspection, there were specks of broken glass embedded across the hand's surface. The unnatural angles of at least two of his fingers revealed their brokenness, and the top of his hand and wrist had light burns. Cindy shook her head, and placed the hand back down at his side.

"Damn, Neutron… what have you been up to?" she asked him. No response, as expected.

He also had a large gash on his right side, just above his hip. It took was mostly covered with dried blood, informing Cindy that it had occurred before the crash. He didn't seem to have any more external injuries, at least to any degree of severity. That didn't speak for his insides, though. Jimmy was also grime-ridden, and gave off a pretty unpleasant smell to boot. She wondered how long it had been since he'd bathed.

The blonde tossed a glance over her shoulder, and noticed that VOX had passed the BIOS check, and was now fully operational. Cindy was, unfortunately, unfamiliar with most of VOX's broader functions, so she hoped that it had some sort of medical protocol.

"VOX."

A few seconds passed before the computer responded.

"Yes?" she replied.

"Can you run some type of… medical scan… thing, on Jimmy here? I want to know if he has any internal bleeding or injuries." Cindy clarified.

"Certainly." VOX replied. From somewhere in the lab's ceiling a long pole lowered down towards the couch. A lens-esque object on its front projected a red cone over Jimmy's unconscious form, beeping repeatedly as it completed the process. A green flash illuminated him for a split second, before the scanner disappeared.

"Medical scan indicates that patient James Neutron has no present internal injuries or bleeding. However, multiple fractures have been detected on the patient's right hand, and wrist." VOX elucidated. Cindy nodded slowly, and took a deep breath. She recalled the line about not wanting to use her first aid classes on Jimmy, but now she was thankful she'd taken them.

The sound of rattling metal drew her attention away from the unconscious genius. Goddard, who had vanished for sometime, had reappeared at her side. Gripped in his mechanical arms on his back, was a medical tray, littered with various tools and liquid-filled syringes. Thankfully, Jimmy had been prepared for this sort of thing.

"Well…" Cindy began, her eyes darting back towards Jimmy, "looks like we've got some work to do."


End file.
